The average American gets around 70 smartphone notifications a day — and these beeps, pings and buzzes are messing with us.

• The big picture: The daily onslaught of notifications has consequences for our stress levels, our ability to focus and even our happiness.

🔎 Zoom in: There are visible and invisible effects of notifications on our brains, numerous studies show.

• We get distracted. That one's obvious, but what's less understood is the extent to which pings divert our focus. It can take several minutes to get back on track after even a small distraction — like a notification — pulls us away from a task at work or a family dinner, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine.
• We get addicted. Notifications are a driver of smartphone and internet addiction as they condition us to feel excited by buzzing phones, CNN notes. That excitement is so powerful that the mere presence of our phones around us — even when we're not checking them — is enough to prompt "brain drain" and reduce cognitive ability, per University of Chicago researchers.

🧠 Reality check: The problem is even worse for teens, who are online more than their parents and field an average of 237 notifications a day, CNN reports.

📱 Consider using your smartphone's silent or do-not-disturb features when you're trying to focus — or for social media apps, turn off notifications entirely.

• For a more complete digital detox, catch our tips and tricks on reducing screen time here.

Check out this other-worldly snap from Finish Liner Isaac G.:

• "It might not be a sunset, but I still managed to find some dramatic light on Cape Cod," he writes.